THERE was a time in the history of Nollywood that the delectable, smooth-talking actress Jennifer Eliogu was in hot demand. She was shooting back-to-back and found herself shuttling between Lagos and the eastern part of Nigeria where her talent was in hot demand.  But the actress is missing in action because she has found a new passion –singing. Jennifer runs a band where she features as the lead singer so she hardly has time to be on location as she is always on tour performing with the band.

But the actress and singer declared recently that she was still available for hire as an actress even though she agreed that ‘music and singing’ have taken a better part of her career. Amiable and unpretentiously friendly, Jenny’s decision to explore her innate acting talent accounted for her emergence as a fixture in the home movie scene.

Her debut as a screen actress was on the set of ‘House on Fire’ starring Gloria Norbert Young nee Anozie and Charles Okafor. It took the release of the two-part didactic movie for Jenny to cut a swath amongst Nollywood’s big-time producers and to belch out wide for recognition.

Ardent followers of the movie thought that a watchable actress had joined the turf. A critic had named her the movie industry’s ‘new kid on the bloc’. For him and a few others like that, there was a star in the making in the old pupil of Umbrella Nursery and Primary School Apapa, Lagos. Indeed, there was something disarming and affable about Jenny’s act that made quite a lot of people develop an admiration for her. Just that appearance and two others after it and Jenny was already the newest hit.

In fact, since she took the decision to engage the acting runway, the urbane and uncommonly charming actress of numerous credits, Jennifer has steered herself almost effortlessly up to the top rung. Many still hold that outside her seductive looks and her good diction, Jennifer added a bit to the beaten track and ingeniously embellished her act and that has undoubtedly earned her a top rating amongst the industry’s screen sirens. Her fans want her back soon to light up the screens.

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REVIEW

Title- END OF DREAMS

Producer- Gab Okey Okonkwo

Actors- Chiege Alisigwe, Remi Ohajianya, Michael Ezurouonye and others

PERPETUA played by Chiege Alisigwe is in love with a carpenter. Later she faces the arduous task of deciding whom to spend the rest of her life with — lover boy or a rich fellow who her mum prefers. Well, she settles for the chief but she didn’t last long with him. She is sent packing after a series of miscarriages. She returns to lover boy but… This is not far from a commendable effort but it has one of those titles you flag on a movie when you have no other good idea about what to call it. Though stagy, it excites. It did to a certain extent.

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Filmdom Notice Board

Dark cloud over Nollywood as light dimmed on Chico Ejiro

NOLLYWOOD was thrown into deep mourning on Christmas day as news filtered in that the industry had lost an icon and one of the pioneers of its pioneers, Chico Ejiro. Popular as Mr. Prolific, Chico reportedly died in his home early on Christmas day. Although details of how the producer and director of hit flicks such as ‘Silent Night’, ‘Festival of Fire’ and ‘Full moon’ died is still sketchy, preliminary diagnosis, as revealed by a close family source, revealed that he died of cardiac arrest. A movie producer and director of vast credits, Chico who was married to the costumier Joy Chico Ejiro and blessed with four children is the younger brother of the iconic filmmaker, Chief Zeb Ejiro, OON. In fact, Chico is the last of the three Ejiro brothers who are into filmmaking. The other is the renowned scriptwriter, Peter Red Ejiro. Tributes have continued to pour in for Chico who just wrapped up work on a movie titled, ‘Relapse.’

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Mimi is in cinema this Christmas

MIMI’, the new movie from the stable of Aul Media Studios, SBG Film Production and 007 Global Films opened on Christmas Day (December 25) across all cinemas in the country and moviegoers say they have found it very thrilling and engaging.  ‘Mimi’ tells the story of a spoilt rich kid who got served by fate, she discovered all that she knew about herself to be a mirage. She has to get used to an opposite life; one she would never get used to. It’s a funny drama of redemption, love, fate and starting over. The movie boasts of a stellar cast including the comedian Alibaba, Ireti Doyle, Toyin Abraham, Bimbo Akintola, Hafiz Oyetoro aka Saka, Ufuoma Mcdermoth, Bianca Ugowanne, Lizzy Jay (Omo Ibadan), Lateef Adedimeji, Jide Kosoko, Moses Akerele, Timi Agbaje, Kie Kie, Deyemi Okanlawon, Bro Bouche, Sanyeri, OfficerWoos and a host of others. It was written by Joy Isi Bewaji, produced by Wale Osagie and directed by Samuel Olatunji. As part of an effort to reward families who have so far seen the movie, Veritasi Homes and Properties, sponsored partner of the movie has decided to reward moviegoers with a plot of land at Ibeju-Lekki.

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Filmdom WORD BITES

All for Chico

FOREVER in our hearts Sir Chico. Your passing has shattered our hearts. I will always be grateful to you and Uncle Zeb for the way you took me under your protective wings and never let go. Sleep well my bro. Condolences to the Nollywood fraternity who have lost one of our greats of African film; to Joy and the entire Ejiro family, my condolences. I am deeply sorry for your loss.

– Film Curator and Programmer with Mnet Hamida Suleiman  

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CHICO was an authentic Nollywood pioneer and hero. Whilst he did not invent the “kpa kpa kpa” style which arguably made Nollywood the most efficient film industry, he popularised it.  Efficiency fuelled by speed was primary for the man tabloids dubbed “Mr. Prolific”. Having cut his teeth in television like most Nollywood pioneers he launched his movie career with Deadly Affair, a partnership with Opa Williams. Chico’s Grandtouch Pictures was Nollywood in its boom years. We shall all miss “Chikoski” whom i communicated with on December 4, 2020 just a few hours before presenting a keynote at ZUMA Film Festival Abuja. But the man likely to miss him more is Actor Segun Arinze. At ZUMA we had discussed Segun’s reprise of his ‘Black Arrow’ character in the planned remake of Chico’s seminal movie Silent Night. Sad. Chico Ejiro’s night is now silent… forever.

• Former President of Association of Movie Producers (AMP),
•  Madu Chikwendu

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“RESTING in my country home after attending a wonderful Christmas church service, I didn’t even know that a giant of the Nigerian film industry had fallen till a journalist from a popular newspaper called to know my reaction to Chico’s sudden passage! Shock! Shock!! I’m still in shock!!! Could it be that the legendary movie director was making attempt to break into acting big time? Alas, this is no longer the make-believe we would’ve loved it to be, for sadly, it’s been confirmed that our friend and colleague Chico Ejiro has transited into eternity! He was a phenomenon. He left indelible mark in the sands of time and therefore will never be forgotten in a hurry.  Good night Chico Ejiro. Godspeed. May the Lord’s light shine upon you forever!!! Rest in Peace.

• Renowned Nollywood actor, Bob Manuel Udokwu 

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Star Fad & Hobbies

The Actress Ibinabo Fiberisima-

“I SPENT Christmas day with my family, eating all sorts of delicacies. Then my children and I exchanged our gifts, lots of excitement then we played PS 3 games till it was time to sleep. We all prayed together and off to bed we went. Christmas to me means time to reflect on the birth of Christ and that simply means family time. When a new child is born into a family, that family bonds again with the new baby. Christ has given us that Joy, that time of the year to always remember him and bond no matter how the year has been. This year has been ‘fantastic’ and that is confessing positive. I pray for goodness and mercy for Nigeria, for prosperity for Nigeria and peace for Nigeria’’.

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The Actor Wole Ojo-

MY Christmas celebration was a pretty low-keyed. Stayed at home with family. To me, Xmas means a lot but one of the most important is that it represents love to me. For the birth of Christ signifies the love of God for man. My most memorable Xmas has to be when I was a lot younger. You know back then it was more fun — new clothes, shoes and even hair cut. With age, one doesn’t have to care much about those stuffs anymore. I am going into 2021 with an open mind.  I will let God; time and my effort decide the outcome’’.

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Milestones & Roughcuts

 #ANNOUNCED- ‘The Milkmaid’ as Nigeria’s entry for the International Feature Film category of the 2021 Oscars. The film was selected by the 12-member Nigeria Official Selection Committee (NOSC) having followed and met the prescribed procedure of selection by the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). The selection of ‘The Milkmaid’ was officially announced on December 1, 2020 by the NOSC, headed by filmmaker, education administrator, Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi. Written, produced and directed by Desmond Ovbiagele, ‘The Milkmaid’ is a Hausa language-based thriller spotlighting insurgency and extremism, especially as they affect women and children in Sub-Saharan Africa. The film, which recently garnered eight nominations at the 2020 Africa Movie Academy Awards narrates the story of a Fulani milkmaid who confronts extremists in a rural African community in a quest to locate her missing sister, and details how efforts to recapture her disrupted past became complicated.

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#IN TWO STAGES: Due to the current Covid-19 situation, the 71st Berlin International Film Festival has developed a new festival format for 2021. Organisers say they will hold the festival for the industry and the public. The industry platforms European Film Market, Berlinale Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents and the World Cinema Fund will kick off the 71st Berlinale in March with an online offer. In June, there will be a summer event with numerous film screenings for the public audiences – in cinemas as well as open air. The division allows maintaining the two supporting pillars: film market and festival.